Good – Green Bay showed they’re capable of putting out a below-average offensive line and it proved to not only be a vast improvement, but wasn’t an issue. It was at least good enough to win against a bad football team, but a solid defense, in Tampa Bay. Jordan Love was NOT sacked and the Packers rushed for 94 yards on 21 carries (excluding Jordan Love’s 4 kneel downs for -8 yards to end the game).
The defense also came up big, creating 2 takeaways leading to 10 points, held fairly strong after 2 sudden change scenarios (offense giving the ball away with 2 turnovers), and late in the game to ice the game holding onto a 3-point lead.
Love was a different passer having not been under duress on every drop back – a welcomed sight. The 1 interception he threw wasn’t on him as the corner bailed on his assignment, gambling that Love was, correctly, targeting Golden in crunch time in the Red Zone. Love was accurate on nearly every throw and was 2 drops away from completely taking over this game.
Bad – There were still so many mental errors, which led to feeling like this was a loss even though the Packers came away with a victory. I mentioned the drops, which is still plaguing this team through 4 weeks. While an improvement, Green Bay still had 10 penalties accepted costing them 68 yards, and 2 fumbles (1 lost) and an interception, both turnovers taking at least 6 points off the board, and likely 14…completely flipping this game altogether. Just a continuation of a trend that exemplifies a poorly-coached football team.
Ugly – This is still a BAD football team. Their 2 wins came against opponents with a combined record of 1-7 (1-3 NY Jets and 0-4 Tampa Bay), and both were by only 3 points. Think of it as the inverse of the Milwaukee Brewers…the Brewers have the best manager in all of baseball and gets the sum of his parts more than the individual players whereas the Packers’ sum of its players is less than the individual players – that’s coaching, scheme, whatever you want to call it. The Packers have talent, quite a bit of it, and are one of the worst teams in the NFL (with a -32-point differential, that ranks them 29th in the entire NFL), strictly NOT GOOD.
The other piece of this are the injuries that continue to pile up. Since November of 2025, Green Bay has lost 9 players to season-ending injuries, most notably being Micah Parsons, but now Edgerrin Cooper, who was playing at an All-Pro level, is out with an Achilles injury. A huge blow to a defense that’s been showing signs of being good to very good this season. Couple the loss of Cooper with the losses of WR Jayden Reed and RT Zach Bako-Bewele in Week 4, that’s a lot of talent at key positions Green Bay will be missing for the remainder of the season. It’s on the coaches to overcome these losses and get these players ready and put them in positions to succeed. Coaching is as, if not more, important than having an amazing Quarterback. Ideally, you’d have both.
(3-1) Chicago @ (2-2) Green Bay
Current Standing – Entering Week 5 the Bears are in 2nd place in the NFC North and 5th in the NFC Playoff standings. Having won back-to-back games with a backup QB and a top Defense, Chicago looks to be a top contending team in the NFC, much to the chagrin of yours truly. Meanwhile, Green Bay is a sputtering 2-2 sitting in last place in the North and 10th in the NFC. This is about as close to a “must win” game for Green Bay as a game can be for being this early in the season.
The stakes for this game are huge, especially for the Packers. With a Bears win, they’d be 4-1 and on the heels of Minnesota for the division lead and in prime position for a strong playoff seed. A loss for Green Bay would put them at 2-3 and 0-2 in the division as well as 0-2 at Lambeau Field. It would also solidify Chicago as a powerhouse team to be dealt with for the rest of the conference, leaving the Packers to fight for air to stay alive for .500, let alone a playoff spot.
This is a statement game for Green Bay. Even though the Bears are missing QB Caleb Williams, they may actually be better off without him. Over their last 2 games, Chicago has given up 19 total points and 405 yards. While those opponents were the fluttering Eagles and dismal Jets, they still did their job shutting them down. Ben Johnson’s offense has been uber efficient and solid, amassing 492 yards just last week alone. This is a very good football team (again, very tough for me to admit) coming to Lambeau Field. Should Green Bay win, it’s the type of game that could catapult their season on the right track and instill belief moving forward – especially considering Micah Parsons is returning (hopefully) soon.
Matchup Matrix
Looking strictly at the rankings this is a mismatch of epic proportions. Other than playing to their ceiling, this doesn’t look good for the Green & Gold faithful. Chicago has the top rushing attack, averaging almost 200 yards per game, while Green Bay ranks 28th against the run. The Packers are also giving up 26.3 points per game (23rd) while the Bears average 28.0 points per game. That’s not even the bad news; Green Bay’s offense has been so frustrating and have given the ball away 6 times thus far while the Bears have a top defense in every category.
How Can Green Bay Win?
The offensive line should get another jolt, likely starting newcomer, Kevin Zeitler at Right Guard, which is the biggest hope/key – possessing the ball to keep the defense fresh throughout the game, is probably the biggest key. On top of that, Matt LaFleur’s scheme will need to be on point, the drops will need to vacate, and no turnovers. If all of those hold true, the Packers can come out victorious. A big ask, considering we’ve yet to see that type of performance not only this year, but almost the last 2+ years. Defensive Coordinator, Jonathan Gannon, will likely take some notes from Brian Flores (Minnesota Vikings Def. Coord.) since the Vikings shut down Chicago and held them to only 3 points in their rain-soaked Week 2 matchup at Soldier Field.
If Green Bay wins the toss and defers, they must get a quick stop to open the game, then have the offense put together a confidence-building drive and score to open the game up 7-0 with getting the first possession out of halftime. Playing from ahead, as always, is the best way to win…and Green Bay has really only done this twice this season – blowing Week 1 in Minnesota.
In addition to the quick start, winning the turnover battle is always key, but especially against a Bears team that thrives on takeaways. The Packers likely need to win the turnover battle by 2+ and scoring off those turnovers to “steal points and possessions.” Every way I look at this game, it’s unsettling due to the Bears being better in every department other than QB, but give the Packers’ OL struggles, that evens out. Maybe it’s a special teams play that can swing the game and act as a turnover or “free score,” which might be the other advantage Green Bay has.
Prediction Time
Unless most or all of these things come true, Chicago has the better play-caller, healthier team (both teams are quite injured) and momentum/confidence.
Season: 2-2
Overall: 119-79
